• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.18
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• pp.35-50
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• 2017

As part of the NMK's research project on wooden Buddha statues, four items which contained fabric among their bokjang objects(腹藏物) were investigated. Firstly, when classified by the method of weaving, two items made of ra (羅, a four-end complex gauze) silk and five of neung(綾, twill damask) silk from the Goryeo era were identified, and the satin fabrics showing characteristics of the Joseon period were classified as either dan(緞, satin damask) or sa(紗, simple gauze). In particular, the fabric of the bokjang objects enshrined within the gilt-bronze Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva(Deoksu 801) feature both early and late Joseon characteristics, suggesting that two enshrinements were performed(once in the fifteenth century and another in the seventeenth). Secondly, the patterns on the fabrics included flowers, treasures, fruits, plants with animals, and landscapes with clouds. Thirdly, patches of fabric were found that are assumed to be related with all cardinal directions according to their arrangement, albeit in small quantities.